Massive Attack have broken the world record for the gig with the lowest carbon emissions ever. Scientists at the Tydnall Centre created a report, comparing Massive Attack’s Act 1.5 festival with a hypothetical outdoor music event of similar size. The report found that Act 1.5 produced a huge 98 per cent less power emissions.
The Act 5.1 festival took place on August 25, 2024, at Clifton Downs in Bristol. It was a 100-percent battery powered event, using electric vehicles, only serving vegan food, and working with local rail providers to allow as many concertgoers to arrive by train as possible. The band brought a minimal amount of equipment with them, and every artist on the bill travelled by low-carbon means such as coach or ferry.
To deter long-distance travel that would harm the environment, the band offered a presale of tickets for local buyers from Bristol, Bath, Glousterchire, Swindon and Taunton. They also encouraged attendees to use public transport, and teamed up with UK booking platform Train Hugger, which gives a quarter of its revenue to efforts to restore the British countryside.
The scientists behind the report hope that Act 1.5 can become a blueprint for organizing climate-conscious festivals. Professor Carly McLachlan, associate director at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, said: “It demonstrated that there are real opportunities for promoters, providers, local authorities and central government to create the conditions for the UK to lead the world in super-low carbon events.”
The report found that the majority of carbon emissions that the event generated were from the five per cent of concertgoers who had flown to Bristol. Evidence suggests that air travel to gigs is increasing, as artists are playing international tours with fewer locations. Artists like Taylor Swift have caught criticism for their extensive use of private jets.
Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja said: “There’s a huge question now for tour planning, but also for media and promoter marketing campaigns high on the glitz of epic summer tours that normalise leisure aviation.”
The Bristol trip-hoppers have stayed environmentally conscious for a long time, standing against airport expansions and previously teaming up with the Tyndall Centre to publish a report on eco-friendly touring. They recently revealed they turned down a slot at Coachella 2025 due to concerns about the environmental damage the festival can cause.
To the NME, Del Naja said: “We said no to Coachella for next year because again, we’ve been there once, and once was enough. It’s in Palm Springs. It’s a golf resort built on a desert, run on a sprinkler system, using public water supplies. Mental. If you want to see something that’s the most ludicrous bit of human behavior — it’s right there.”
The band have also recently expressed a desire to release some new material. Their last release came in 2020, with their EP ‘Utopia’. In an interview with the NME, Del Naja said: “We do have some new music which we’ve been sitting on for four years. Hopefully we’re going to be able to release it next year (2025) and do some gigs.” They’ve also been announced as headliners for this year’s LIDO festival – more on that here.
